With
a hitch …that’s how things went over the weekend. I know, that’s not how the saying goes.
However, there were a few waves in the water that got us pretty wet and tried our faith. Let's say it wasn't "paradise" and we didn't embrace the entire journey we were on throughout the week.
In a perfect world things would always happen
without a hitch or a glitch in them, but we don’t live in that world do we (at
least not yet).
Split Second Decision
Do
you remember in my last post how I was “fretting” over the music for an upcoming
event? Well, by the time Sunday came I
was feeling confident about all the plans we made and that we were good to go.
We
arrived at a church where we were supposed to minister, in plenty of time
before the service. My husband was going
about doing the things he needed to get ready for what he had to do, and
I was checking things out with the sound system person.
I
handed my split track CD to the lady in charge and requested a quick run
through for sound. As I stood on the
platform waiting for my cue in the song, nothing happened. The only thing coming out of the speakers was
the background singers, and no music.
Trying
to convey to her that this isn’t right was difficult, because she had never seen
a CD like this. I went to the booth and
looked at the system to see if she had both speakers on; she did. Apparently the person that had set up the
system didn’t explain how to use it in various situations.
What
was I going to do? Something I have learned throughout the years in singing for
an audience was that you always need to be prepared with more songs than you
plan on doing. By now it was twenty
minutes before the service and I had to scramble through my songs to see which
ones I could do without music or without background singers. Then in a split second decision the solution came and I knew what
to do.
The Windy City
When you
enter the sanctuary the first thing that anyone will notice is the large
painting behind the pulpit. It depicts
the scene where Jesus is walking on the stormy sea and holds out His hand for
the Apostle Peter to grasp.
Looking at that painting
the Holy Spirit dropped something into my spirit. There was a song that I hadn’t
thought of singing, but did bring the music for it. I didn’t practice it like some of the
other songs, but did go over it a few times only because I love the message it
presents.
Without hesitation I handed
the woman another CD that didn’t need the split track speakers. The song was titled, “Wherever the Wind Blows.” (God is moving.)
At
that time I didn’t know the exact topic that my husband was going to speak on other
than James chapter 1 and focus on the first eight verses.
“My brother, count it all joy when you fall
into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces
patience. But let patience have its perfect
work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will
receive anything from the Lord; a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
The
song fit perfectly because it deals with the promise that wherever the wind
blows, God is moving and He is present.
If there is even a breeze, God is demonstrating that He is part of
it. When we act in faith and trust Him, God will deliver us to a place of
safety.
No
matter what we are experiencing, God knows about it and is present. He isn’t in another part of the universe
tending to something more important than you.
As a child of God, you are foremost on His mind.
The
wind was really blowing that morning, so much so that it was a point of
conversation. Little did we know how it would play such an important role in
the service.
There
isn’t a day in the life of a believer that you aren’t in some part of a life
storm.
The main thing that we are to remember is that whether you are heading
into a storm, in the middle of it, or coming out of a storm in your life, God
is always there.
There’s a passage in
the Bible that talks about when the disciples were in a boat and they saw
something walking in the midst of the sea.
Peter called out and questioned if it was Jesus. After he recognized that it was actually
Jesus walking on the water, he got so excited that he asked for permission to
leave the boat and join the Lord in the water. (Or should I say, "ON" the water.)
I think many people forget what truly happened here. Briefly this is what Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV) states:
“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into
the boat …but the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves,
for the wind was contrary. In the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him, they trembled in
fear saying, “It’s a ghost!” Right away Jesus spoke and said, “Be of good
cheer! It is I; don’t be afraid.”
There
were still doubtful that it really was Jesus, so Peter makes a request
that would verify who was out there in the dark.
Peter called to Jesus, “If it’s You, command me
to come to You on the water.” So Jesus said, “Come.” When Peter got out of the boat he walked on
the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was
afraid and began to sink! Peter cried
out, “Lord, save me!” At once Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter and
said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” and when they got into the
boat, the wind stopped.”
Let’s look at what this really means.
Point 1: God will call you into something deeper
than you can handle on your own so your faith can be tested.
God
is the One who sent the disciples out at night, in the storm, for their faith
to be tested. Peter is the only one who took the test.
The
moment Peter jumped out of the boat, he left his comfort zone and did something
he never thought he could do … walk on water!
He had to get out of where he was and leave that safe place. Peter was
able to do that because Someone greater than himself was already out there (on
the water). If God is doing the testing, He will not let you go
where He isn’t going to be.
Point 2: Peter didn’t make a move until Jesus spoke
to him signaling the OK. We aren’t to
move unless we are sure it’s God speaking in the situation.
Once
he knew it was the Lord, Peter didn’t think twice about running to Jesus, and
totally trusted that the Lord would stay with him as he ventured out in deep
waters.
Point 3: Wavering is a choice. Don’t look at the storm,
focus on Jesus.
Something
happened though. As soon as he saw the wind it caused Peter to
look at the storm. Peter became tossed
with the wind and wavered. How quickly
he forgot he was already walking on the water.
When
Peter took His focus (eyes) off of Jesus and His destination, he began to sink
into the dark sea. In a panic, Peter
called out (I imagine it was more like a shout) to Jesus to rescue him. He failed the test of faith and had to take
it again ( … and again and again). He
received nothing from that experience of walking on the water, because fear
overtook faith.
Point 4: Jesus isn’t moved by the storm; the storm
is moved by Him.
We
often do the same thing that Peter did when the storms of life seem to be
taking us under. The truth of the matter
is that Jesus wasn't moved by the storm, but was moved by Peter’s request for
help.
God
is not waiting for you to go down in defeat, but is waiting to see you through
to the other side of the storm. We know
this because the wind didn’t stop until Jesus escorted Peter back to the boat –
a safe place. Jesus won’t let you go
through the storm alone, but walks beside you all the way.
Point 5: There is Light in the storm.
Jesus
stood there in the midst of the storm so Peter would let Him be the Light he
needed in a dark place. Not only was the
Lord with Peter, He stayed with him and never left. Peter didn’t notice that God was in the wind in the middle of the storm
and moved on the water despite what was going on around Him. Like Peter, we don’t always remember that
storms don’t control the Creator of the wind.
No wonder we miss out on the favor of God so much, when we fail to walk
by faith.
For
the evening service we made arrangements to work with other equipment so
everything went fine that night.
In my
prayers before I went to bed, I asked God what went wrong. He said (in my spirit), “You prayed over everything else, but the equipment!” Of course!
Oh, I should have known that!
How
could I have forgotten to pray for the equipment? I’ll tell you how. During the weeks before, I asked my husband
to get out the sound system so we could make sure everything was working
correctly. He told me, “We’re not bringing ours; they just got a new
system installed this summer so we’ll be using theirs.” I didn’t give it another thought, and
therefore, I didn’t think to pray over their equipment like I do over
ours.
It
made sense to me now, because satan didn’t want me to sing that song or any
song for that matter. He was counting on
me giving up and skipping the music altogether when I couldn’t use my CD’s. This
was why I was having such an issue with the music. Focusing on which songs I sang took my eyes temporarily
off the message on wavering, but God already knew what would happen.
Come into the Water with Me
I am
so thankful that as I waited to enter the platform area, my seat was situated directly
in front of that portrait of Jesus with His hands stretched out. It was as if God was directing me to come join
Him in the deep waters where He would walk through the storm with me. God wasn’t referring to the CD situation, but
the events that would take place throughout life.
Everything
tied to the message of faith that was preached that morning … the songs, the
prayer, the Message and the wind. God
moved on the hearts throughout the entire service all because the direction
changed.
The Storm Behind the Painting
We
had never been to this church before and were not aware of the background of
the portrait. After the people were
dismissed from the service one lady came up to me and asked if we were staying
for the meal. She knew we had some
difficult situations pending and didn’t know if we needed to leave. I informed her that we would be able to stay
for a short time, but that I would like to see the building if that were
possible. It gives me great pleasure
being able to view the things that God is doing for His church.
Making
our way around the building we came to a little room outside the Pastoral
offices. It was their wall of fame
dedicated to those who have done great things for the Lord. Every person mentioned on that wall had gone
on to their eternal home.
The
first person to be recognized was the young artist of the portrait in the
sanctuary. Shortly after she finished
the work this woman was struck down in a car accident on her way home from
church. I couldn’t help but see how God
has favored her by continuing to honor the work of her hands. Her ministry for the Lord through art is still
going on, even though she isn’t here to see it.
The message of hope in Jesus remains, as He stretches out His hand to
anyone who will take it.
There’s Favor on the Water
Over
2,000 years ago Peter found favor on the water when he reached out to
Jesus. The storm wasn’t a problem for
the Lord then and it isn’t now.
There
are always going to be storms as long as we live on this earth, but be assured,
Jesus is there.
Let
me remind you that Peter walked on the stormy water too, even when his focus
was blurred. He did it with Jesus. The Bible doesn't say Jesus carried Peter back to the boat.
Peter is
the only person to have ever done that, but he isn’t the only one that can do
it. By faith all things are possible, however the impossible won’t happen if we
don’t step out of the comfort "boat" zone as Peter did.
You
may be like me and overlook some things in your prayers at times, but don’t let
that stop you from going where God wants to take you. Instead, give God praise because
He is in the middle of our prayers and already has the answer worked out before
we know there is problem.
Jesus knew Peter's faith was being tested, and was in the water before Peter.
Will
you do me a favor this week? In prayer give
thanks for the times when God has gone ahead of you so that His favor can be
demonstrated in your life. Thank Him for
calling you into the deeper things in life so that your faith can be proved.
Finally, be mindful of the wind; know that God is in it and moving loving favor
in your direction. Never let go of God’s
hand … He will take you back to the boat.
"Where
there’s a breeze, hope is alive. On wings of love He will arrive … wherever the
wind blows!"
Praise You in this Storm Casting Crowns
Until next time, wherever the wind blows,
God’s favor is
there!
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Content and Image Copyright from
Favored1. Do not copy.
Image credit if not listed by Google Images Creative Common License
Scripture reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provide by Gateway Bible
Image credit if not listed by Google Images Creative Common License
Scripture reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provide by Gateway Bible
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